The present invention relates to providing, in a physical environment, audio alerts in respect of categorised events to be reported.
It is known to provide an audible alert at a user""s PC of the receipt of new e-mail in the user""s e-mailbox inbox. It is also known from JP 9081176 to automatically announce messages when a person enters a porch or a room. The advantage of such techniques is that the user is informed without having to look in any particular direction and without having specifically asked if a message has been received.
It is an object of the present invention to extend and improve the usefulness of audio alerts.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing, in a physical environment, audio alerts in respect of categorised events to be reported; the method involving the steps of:
(a) detecting a person crossing a boundary of a space of the environment;
(b) no later than immediately following the detection of the person in step (a), determining what categories of events that are to be reported, have occurred;
(c) selecting from a set of predetermined audio signatures that each corresponds to a different possible category of event, the signature or signatures appropriate for the event categories determined in step (b); and
(d) outputting, within the hearing of the person detected in step (a), the signatures selected in step (c).
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for providing, in a physical environment, audio alerts in respect of categorised events to be reported; the apparatus comprising:
a sensor arrangement for detecting a person crossing a boundary of a space of the environment;
a processing subsystem comprising:
first means operative, no later than immediately following the detection of a person crossing a boundary by the sensor arrangement, to determine what categories of events that are to be reported, have occurred; and
second means for selecting from a set of predetermined audio signatures that each corresponds to a different possible category of event, the signature or signatures appropriate for the event categories determined by the first means;
an audio output arrangement for outputting, within the hearing of the person detected by the sensor arrangement, the signatures selected by the second means of the processing subsystem either simultaneously or sequentially.